Web Content Management: The Job

TL DR

So I was recently forwarded the contact info for a local businessman who sells art stuff online by the volunteer coordinator at a non-profit I help out. His web content manager is moving away, and he needs a replacement. I just wanted to make this thread to get some info about what kind of skills are necessary in the field, and how best to prepare for the interview.

My current skill set is not in web design, html, programming, etc. However, I do have a strong IT hardware and software background. From what I've been told the job would involve updating the website with current inventory, pictures, and descriptions of items. Would this be something that I could just kind of pick up as I go along? If I manage to schedule an interview for next week, would it be helpful to read up on any specific topics?

Feedback is much appreciated.

Jimmy King

The best thing to do would be to find out what CMS they are using. Is it a common off the shelf or open source one or something that they developed in house? If it's something you can get your hands on for free, then download it and start playing.

As to if you can pick it up as you go or not, that really depends on you. Some people are good at that, some not so much. It also depends on if they are willing to hire someone who can do that or not. Again, some places are happy to do so, others want you to already have 10 million years working on it.

TL DR

Thanks for the input, I hadn't thought about asking about their software. I think I have a pretty good shot at the job, since they think pretty highly of me at (nonprofit). I've even started doing some work with their IT director, so maybe I could ask her opinion as well.

PracticalProblemSolver

I design these types of systems for businesses and work with their content producers to figure it all out, none of them have any real technical experience beyond using facebook and being able to follow directions. Mostly it's just data entry and writing blurbs, if you have any experience writing copy that's going to be the biggest skill required, and generally being an organized and capable office person.

flatlinegraphics

yeah, basically its probably a lot of data entry and managing assets. a lot of 'ok, enter item X into the system, do we have the photo, the copy, the price? ok, follow up with the guy that has that. got it? enter into system, check it.'.

depending on the sophistication of their system, it may just be a web form, no different that updating a blog. or, it can be a cobbled together system that you have to manually update. hopefully its the former, but more likely the later. just brush up on file management and some basic html.

The_Glad_Hatter

i recently got "promoted" to web designer with very little experience. a lot of stuff you can google. If you're patient, you can even use a lot of programming with some clever copypasting. however, it can be very frustrating (not know ing what exactly to do, how you fucked up the site specifically).

If you want to job i'd say cruise amazon for a good book on dreamweaver (i love the one-on-one books series. Don't know if they do dreamweaver). i had a similar situation, and i just picked up the indesign book, and told my boss what i can and cannot do, but that i was willing to learn.

dreamweaver web editing is kinda like using microsoft word. Albeit a very illt-tempered word with a hard-to-follow logic.
But the basics are reallly easy to pick up.